Planted ponds

[hashbaz]

Most everyone's ponds have plants, but there is a very different style to planting a pond.

I have been thinking about building a pond and planting it aquarium style:
*submerged plants,
*50% weekly water changes (into a veggie garden)
*dosing dry ferts
*flourish excel substitute (glutaraldehyde)

I don't see any reason why this couldn't work.

I'm not sure how bright the sun is compared to a "high light" tank. I read a local weather report a while back that measured the solar radiation around 1000W/m^2. Which is quite a bit higher than a "high light" tank. But I assume this included infrared and ultraviolet which are not useful to photosynthesis. If 10%(wild guess) of sunlight is useful this would make sunlight comparable to a high-light tank (an "educated" wild guess). I will have to double check these numbers.

I have found that a lot of my plants look very cool from above and want to try growing them outside.

What do you think? Any comments, concerns, or questions?

 

[fish_4_all]

Go for it! I think sunlight is much brighter than anything we can replicate but there is also issues of intensity and other things that make it more efficient, and which I don't know much about. If you have a descent surface area, dosing with Excel shouldn't be needed I wouldn't think. Dry ferts might be to get the whole ecosystem going but once established, waste matter decay should further the process but having it would never hurt.

Out of curiosity, how big do you plan to make it?

 

[hashbaz]

Out of curiosity, how big do you plan to make it?

My pond is still in the dreaming/planning/saving$$$ stage - but my plan is to make a freestanding pond out of wood measuring 6'x6'x2' I'm going to insulate it, a put a greenhouse over/around it in the winter. I'm also thinking about adding an electric heater or building a heat exchanger for it. But I will have to see.

 

[czcz]

My only comment is I hope you do this, and are open to letting some stuff grow emergent and flower and stuff. This project is gonna be sweet.

 

[fish_4_all]

That sounds awesome! But here I thought maybe 2-300 square feet and 4 feet deep so you could take a dip in summer.

I also agree with czcz, I want to see this happen. What a concept. And you have to let some grow emersed just to get the flowers and possibly some seeds.

 

[hashbaz]

Flowers would be really cool! I have had tiger lotuses (nyphae zenkeri) in my tanks before and really want to see if I can get one of these to bloom.

It occured to me today just how much this pond will cost, and it will take a long time to save up that much. Lots of time to plan!

 

[fish_4_all]

Cost that much, hmmm. I had figured about $250, but for me that is a fortune so I can understand that. Might be cost effective if it is going to be more than that to look into the prefab ponds but then again you would still have to reinforce it if you aren't putting it in the ground.

 

[czcz]

How about a Whiskey Barrel Pond in the meantime? I think the old water pump really makes this one http://www.corsinet.com/garden/koi_pond2001.html